3/29/2024 0 Comments Lift equifax credit freezeWe cannot process your security freeze request online at this time. But then I got this message: "We're sorry. To put the freeze in place, I had to submit my name, date of birth, Social Security number, and address in an online form. Related: What's a credit freeze and should you do it? On Wednesday, I returned to the Equifax website to freeze my credit and finally sign up for the monitoring. I think the extra protection is worth the effort and potential hassle. But I'm not planning on opening a new loan or credit card anytime soon. In New Jersey, where I live, it costs $5. The drawback is that it could get annoying when I want to open a new account myself, requiring me to contact the credit agency to temporarily lift the freeze - and it could cost a small fee depending on your state. "The only way to prevent new account identity theft is through a freeze," said Mike Litt, consumer program advocate with U.S. It blocks businesses from accessing my report, as long as I don't already have an account with them. However, if you click on the link, you could be downloading malicious software on your computer that would allow the crook to hijack your system or record your keystrokes.After talking to experts, I decided that I should put a freeze on my credit reports as well. The email may urge you to click on a link or open a PDF file to check your account or verify a transaction. These use your real data - the type of data compromised in the Equifax breach - to mimic legitimate communication from your bank or broker. Spear-phishing cons are far more sophisticated. Phishing scams are often unsophisticated email and phone cons aimed at getting you to reveal privy data, such as your Social Security number. The data made available through the Equifax breach is also likely to spur a wave of so-called "spear-phishing" scams that could put more than your credit at risk. Spear-phishing to crack your bank and brokerage accounts If you do not get a prompt response from the IRS, call the Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 80 for assistance. You may be forced to file your tax returns on paper in the meantime. Also complete IRS form 14039, the Identity Theft Affidavit. What action should you take? File a police report and a fraud report with the FTC Identity Theft Hotline (87). And take immediate action if you are informed that more than one return was filed in your name that you owe additional tax or that IRS records indicate that you earned more than the amount of wage you reported. If your information was compromised in the data breach, make a point of filing your annual tax return promptly. While the agency has a task force dedicated to these cons, they are complex and difficult to solve, often taking more than four months to investigate, according to the agency. Victims often get the first inkling of a problem when they file their annual tax returns and the IRS notifies them that another return has already been filed and their refund has been claimed. The agency cites data breaches as one of the main ways that con artists get the relevant information to pull off tax identity theft. These scams involve criminals getting victims' names, addresses and Social Security numbers to file fraudulent tax refund claims. The Internal Revenue Service has been fighting tax identity theft for years. Tax identity theft that could rob you of your IRS refund Even if this tool indicates your data was spared, you can sign up for free credit monitoring for a year and Equifax will also waive any costs entailed in freezing your credit report, if you act within the next two months. Information about the Equifax breach, including a simple tool to tell you whether the company believes your data was accessed in the breach, can be found on the company's web site. Of course, if your data wasn't part of the Equifax attack, giving it out over the phone gives you a chance to join your friends and neighbors in having your data exposed on the dark web. Providing information to a new con artist over the phone simply increases the chance that you'll be victimized.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |